The Best Ways to De-Stink Your Stuff

The Best Ways to De-Stink Your Stuff

It doesn’t matter how clean you think you are, your stuff is bound to get a little stinky once and a while. That means your clothes, shoes, carpets, couches, and who knows what else. So, what’s the best way to handle the stench? Let’s take a look.

Different deodorizers work better for different situations, but a few catch-all odor-destroyers work better than others. Let’s break it down by the general size and take it from there.

De-Stink Your Whole House

After a long winter and a wet spring opening up the windows to let air in isn’t always enough to de-stink the house. The easiest, most carefree method is to stick bars of soap all around your house, but that will only freshen it up. To truly destroy a nasty scent in your home you need to break out the big guns and that means vinegar.Vinegar is a good way to reduce the stink and it really does work. Fill up a bowl with vinegar, leave it in the various rooms in your house, and take off for an afternoon. When you get back, the house will be rid of that funky scent. To keep the house smelling fresh going forward, toss a few bits of charoal around the house. Photo by Wendy Harman.

De-Stink Clothes, Shoes, and Small Areas

Now that your house is smelling fresh it’s time to move onto your closets where your clothes and shoes are still adding a nefarious odor to the air. If a good wash doesn’t rid your clothes of their stink it’s time to turn to one of the most powerful of deodorizers: cat litter.

Of course, if you have a cat you might not want to leave a bunch of cat litter all over the house for fear you’ll be creating an impromptu toilet. If that’s the case, baking soda is your go-to method to de-stink small areas. For your shoes, just pour baking soda into a coffee filter and stuff the filter inside your shoes overnight. According to home improvement blog The New Homemaker baking soda can also be used as a substitute for detergent as a way to get clothes fresh. Better yet, you can sprinkle a little in your dirty laundry to get rid of the stink of your clothes hamper. For any other small area you can take the same approach as cat litter and just leave little canisters of baking soda around to freshen up small rooms. Photo by Jon Ross.

De-Stink Furniture

Baking soda is great for all sorts of things, but it’s also perfect for upholstered furniture. Apartment Therapy recommends you sprinkle on a little baking soda and let it sit for as long as possible (24 hours is recommended). The only trick is to keep the furniture shaded during the process because otherwise the baking soda will bleach it. When the 24 hours is up, wipe down your furniture and you’re good to go.For wood furniture, your best bet is white vinegar. According to DIY home blog Brightnest cleaning wood furniture is as easy as wiping down the wood with vinegar and water. Take a sponge out, dip it in a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water, wring it out good, and then wipe down your furniture (or shelves, walls, windowsills, or any other stinky wood). Photo by Jessica Mullen.

With just a few simple ingredients your house and everything in it will be smelling great. The best part is that none of the above methods require much work and you probably already have everything you need. If it’s just a light set of odors, don’t forget dryer sheets can be used for just about anything as well. Did I miss your favorite (non-Febreeze related) de-stinking method? Share your tips in the comments.